Self Discovery
by Ecrivain Sage
Summary: CHAPTER TWO IS NOW UP!
1. Together Again

Hello everyone and thank you for reading my fiction! Firstly I only own Nicole Sage, Linnea Huse is a friend and the others all belong to J.K.Rowling. I did not create them.  
  
Please enjoy and I will be posting the next chapter shortly! Please R/R! Thanks!  
  
Chapter One  
Together Again  
  
It was a day just like any other in London. People running around the streets, franticly rushing from here to there, and Kings Cross-Station was no exception. People were racing in and out trying to get to their trains quickly, sometimes running into each other while doing so.  
  
Amid the families running around Kings Cross a solitary boy, lugging a large trunk behind him while struggling to keep his hair out of his face, made his way through the crowds. His gray eyes darted around the station as he reached the place between platforms 9 and 10.  
  
On his trunk was a seal that had a lion, a snake, a badger, and a raven surrounding a large H. Below the seal was printed the initials S. B in very curvy letters.  
  
Sirius Black completed his journey to the barrier between platforms 9 and 10, and casually leaning against it, he and his trunk disappeared. Once through, he saw a crimson colored train that was sitting in the station, with a sign on the front that read HOGWARTS EXPRESS. He walked eagerly towards it, ready to start his 6th year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  
  
Sirius stepped aboard and walked up and down the train, trying to find somewhere to stow his cart. He didn't know if his friends were there yet, but he found the answer to that question when he opened the door to a compartment near the middle of the train.  
  
A boy his same age stood in the center of the room putting his things away in the storage compartment. He had short light brown hair and he seemed to be humming to himself. When Remus Lupin turned around his amber eyes met Sirius's and he jumped slightly.  
  
"Sirius!" said Remus; his smooth young face was lined with familiar scars running diagonally down his right cheek, the only evidence of a dark secret. "God, it feels like it's been months."  
  
"Well, if you remember correctly, it has been months, three to be exact." Said Sirius, grinning as he secured his trunk.  
  
Remus rolled his eyes and turned towards the door but before he could reach the handle, it opened for him. Standing on the threshold of the compartment was a tall teenager with messy jet-black hair, kind brown eyes that hid behind glasses, and a large grin plastered across his face.  
  
"Remus, Sirius," James Potter said in a very business like tone and he pushed his trunk across the threshold, "How are you two gentlemen doing this fine morning?"  
  
Sirius and Remus exchanged glances, had James lost it? Just as Sirius was about to confront James, he spun around and talked to someone in the hallway.  
  
"Oh, good day Lily," James said in the same tone, "Lovely weather we're having, isn't it?"  
  
"Hello Potter," came an exasperated voice just out of Sirius's range of vision.  
  
He looked over at Remus, who seemed to be fighting back the urge to laugh. Just then an attractive young red head with bright green eyes named Lily Evans passed James, with two other girls behind her. One was the a slender, smiling young woman with short blond hair, crystal blue eyes and the same height as Lily named Nicole Sage. As she looked into the compartment, she caught sight of Remus and burst into giggles as they rushed to their compartment down the hall. The third girl, Linnea Huse, was shorter than the others with short brown hair and green eyes, which rolled impatiently as Nicole rushed down the hall.  
  
James turned around and sighed, silently securing his trunk.  
  
"Lily's not taking the bait, eh James?" asked Sirius, taking a seat.  
  
James shook his head, and sighed, flopping down on the seat.  
  
"I don't get it," he mused, "I've tried being tough, I've tried being proud, I've tried being a gentleman, what else is left?"  
  
"How about you try being yourself?" reasoned Remus, who was watching out the window, "It looks like Peter finally showed up. Reckon we should go get him?"  
  
James shrugged.  
  
"I guess so, I should probably say good-bye to Mum and Dad as well," he said sounding thoroughly depressed and heading out the door.  
  
Remus was quick to follow but stopped at the doorway when he saw Sirius hadn't moved. Remus moved back into the compartment and looked at his friend.  
  
"Sirius? You coming?" Remus asked, trying not to pry.  
  
"I'll just stay here, make sure no one takes the compartment," Sirius said, gazing out the window, "I already said good-bye to my parents before I got on the train."  
  
Remus hesitated a moment and then gave one last glance before he left the compartment.  
  
Sirius sat alone watching all the happy families saying good-bye to their children. He watched; leaning his forehead against the cool glass, as Remus found his parents and his Mother hugged him tightly. Remus stood there talking for several minutes while James was over by his parents, saying good-bye as well. His Mother seemed near tears, like she was every year, and his Father was comforting her, telling her, Sirius imagined, that he would be home before they knew it. Inside, there was a small swell of jealousy that began to build inside Sirius's stomach. He watched James and his family, the envy growing, until he noticed that Mrs. Potter was looking right at him. He gave a small smile and waved, trying to look happy. The Potters waved and a few moments later their friend, Peter Pettigrew, a short chubby boy, joined the Potters.  
  
Sirius turned away from the window and folded his arms across his chest. How could he tell his friends what had happened that summer? How could he tell them that just a few days ago he ran away from home after being told by his Mother that he no longer had a son. A tear threatened to slide down Sirius's cheek. He was a 16-year-old boy who had no home anymore. Number 12 Grimmald Place was no longer open to him.  
  
Don't worry, he told himself, You've got the whole year to figure this mess out.  
  
A moment later his thoughts were interrupted by James laughing loudly as the door to the compartment slid open. Peter seemed to glow at the sight of Sirius.  
  
"Sirius! I didn't know you were already here!" he gasped, grinning like a mad man.  
  
Sirius laughed and looked at Remus, who had a very questioning look on his face and sat down next to him as James helped Peter with his trunk.  
  
"Is everything okay, Sirius?" asked Remus, who was speaking in the tone that he always used when he was worried.  
  
"Yeah, why do you ask?" asked Sirius, trying to sound convincing.  
  
Remus shrugged as the warning whistle sounded in the distance and students began to rush onto the train and into their compartments. The four talked shortly about their summer adventures until Nicole, who stuck her head in the door and greeted them all happily, interrupted them.  
  
"Hello James, Peter, Sirius," she said, her voice was soft and smooth like a song, and then she grew slightly red, "Hi Remus."  
  
They all nodded and when Remus said hello back, Nicole blushed and ran off without another word. The others laughed loudly and Remus shook his head.  
  
"What's wrong, Remus, don't like the fact you have a fan club?" asked James as Peter laughed loudly.  
  
Remus glared at James, which he took as warning and stopped. He knew he had touched a nerve, given the fact that Remus was a werewolf and hadn't been close to anyone but his family and the three of them in his life. There was an awkward silence in the compartment only seconds and then the engine fired up.  
  
"Hey, we're starting to move," said James, getting up and sticking his upper half out the window.  
  
The others followed, except Peter was too short and just waved happily above his head. Sirius waved at the Potters and the Lupins and saw a flash go off from the camera that Remus's Father held. The four of them posed just before the train began to move and then they pulled themselves inside the train again. Sirius breathed a sigh of relief; he was going home.  
  
The train sped past London and out into the country. People passed by the outside; talking happily and many stopped to say hello. At one point, a rather short and stout black haired boy came by and Peter left the others, saying he'd return later. Shortly after that, James left, saying he wanted to go talk to Lily.  
  
"Don't Forget James, be yourself," Remus called after him as he shut the door tightly.  
  
Sirius began to grow uneasy, knowing that Remus would try and see what was wrong with Sirius. They talked about Quidditch for a while, and Remus told Sirius about a fantastic match that he had seen where England Destroyed the United States team.  
  
"It was amazing, especially because there were all these American witches and wizards there," Remus said, "It was weird to listen to them talk about their president and everything."  
  
Sirius chuckled and smiled at Remus.  
  
"Well it sounds like you enjoyed your summer holiday," he stated.  
  
"Well what about you," queried Remus, "What'd you do?"  
  
Sirius paused for a moment and looked out the door. At that moment, a tall boy who looked just like him passed by. Sirius made eye contact with his little brother, Regulus Black, whom just a year younger than Sirius.  
  
They were almost mirror images of each other, instead of Sirius' deep gray eyes, he had fierce blue ones, which rarely looked welcoming, but they both had the same handsome face. The thing that set them apart the most was, Regulus, rather than being in Gryffindor was a Slytherin, which had excited his parents very much. In Sirius's case, when he had been sorted into Gryffindor the family ignored him, and always talked about how proud they were of Regulus.  
  
He stopped as he saw his older brother watching him, turned and pulled open the compartment door.  
  
"Well, well, if it isn't the reject," spat Regulus, his blue eyes narrowing in Sirius's direction, "So how have the last few weeks been for you?"  
  
Remus turned at looked at Sirius, who was looking out the window, pretending not to listen.  
  
"Sirius, what's he talking about?" Remus muttered, glancing between Sirius and his little brother.  
  
Regulus's face instantly filled with a look of pure joy.  
  
"You haven't told your friends yet?" he exclaimed, "Well, judging by that and the ratty state your clothes are in I would have to say that you've probably been living in alleys in London, eh Sirius?"  
  
"Regulus, why don't you show some respect." snapped Remus; "He is your brother..."  
  
"I have no brother!" Regulus spat back, "My brother wouldn't have been sorted in Gryffindor or be friends with the likes of you!"  
  
A second later Sirius had Regulus pinned against the wall with one hand, and the other holding his wand. Sirius's face was full of rage and Regulus was shaking with fear. Remus climbed to his feet and touched Sirius's shoulder.  
  
"Don't interfere, Remus, this is between him and me," muttered Sirius, his eyes still focused on his little brother.  
  
Remus sat down slowly, his eyes not leaving Sirius, who saw Regulus reached for his back pocket.  
  
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" asked Sirius, "Going to hex me? You know I'm a better wizard than you."  
  
Regulus pulled a shiny badge out of his pocket with a large snake, covered slightly by a large silver P. He held it in front of his brother's face, and gave a large grin.  
  
"You wouldn't want to be doing that, Sirius," he gloated, "I am after all, a prefect. Or did that slip your mind as well?"  
  
Sirius backed up and stared at his brother. He turned to go sit down but suddenly spun around and lunged suddenly towards Regulus, who screamed and fell to the floor in a heap. Sirius laughed, and Regulus looked up.  
  
"Right, Regulus, and I'm the reject," said Sirius, struggling to stop laughing.  
  
Regulus got to his feet and glared at his brother, who now had a smug grin on his face.  
  
"At least I didn't have to run away," said Regulus, turning and walking out the door.  
  
Sirius stood rooted to the spot not wanting to turn around face Remus. Finally he made hs way back to his seat, and once again leaned his head against the window staring unblinkingly at the passing towns, until he felt Remus's hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Sirius?" Remus said rather softly, trying to find some words of comfort.  
  
"I'm sorry, Remus," Sirius whispered, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you."  
  
He looked up and Remus removed his hand from Sirius's shoulder. He wasn't going to press the issue, and after a few minutes, Sirius was ready to talk.  
  
"At the beginning of the month, stuff started to happen at home, we got our letters and Regulus was obviously named Prefect; no idea why, he just was. Mum and Dad were thrilled and started up with the whole 'Our son Regulus is the greatest' and 'we have the best son ever' while I just stood back and let it all hit me full force." Said Sirius, "I put up with it for about a week until one day my mother made some comment about me being in Gryffindor. 'Only fools would ever be put into Gryffindor. Anyone who's anyone is in Slytherin' and that was the last straw. I started yelling, screaming, and telling them that they didn't deserve to be alive and that I would rather be an orphan than have parents as terrible as they were.  
  
"So my father told me if they were so terrible why didn't I leave. I told him I would, so I gathered my things, threw it everything I owned into him trunk and took off out the door as my Mother called out terrible things at me. 'You defile the name of Black', 'I regret the day I gave birth to you' and 'I hope You-Know-Who gets a hold of you'. I just kept walking and by the time I got to the end of the street, I realized I didn't have anywhere to go. James and his family were gone, and you've been busy all summer. I didn't know where to go.  
  
"So I took my baggage with me and I hunted down the Frank Longbottom's house, you know, he graduated when we were first years, and asked him if I could store it there. Thankfully he didn't ask any questions and so after that I took off. I just sort of roamed around and slept in alleys and stuff. When the school year started, Frank offered to take me to Kings Cross, but I told him I'd be fine." Said Sirius; "I didn't want to tell anyone. I mean I did fine on my own."  
  
"Well why didn't you write James, Peter, or me?" asked Remus, "You know any of us would've let you stay with us, even if they weren't home. I was busy, but I would've lightened my load if you would've needed to come and stay with us."  
  
Sirius gave a small smile as he looked up at Remus.  
  
You know, you guys are too good to me." Said Sirius; "I don't deserve it."  
  
Remus shook his head.  
  
"That's what friends are for, Sirius," he said.  
  
Remus turned his head and looked out the door to see the food trolley coming.  
  
"About time, I'm starved!" he said, breathlessly, "Want anything?"  
  
"Nope, I haven't got any money left," said Sirius.  
  
"That's not what I asked." Remus said smiling as he pulled his money out of his pocket. "Chocolate frogs, right?"  
  
Sirius nodded as the food trolley came in front of the door and Remus began to grab handfuls of sweets and treats for them. Once he had paid the witch, he dumped the lot in the space between them and began to eat.  
  
"You know, I find that when you're feeling down, chocolate helps a great deal," said Remus, grinning and throwing several chocolate frogs at Sirius, who smiled and ripped off the top. He ate the frog, checking out the wizard card.  
  
"Godric Gryffindor, again," said Sirius, looking bored, "I tell ya, Remus, they must load these with all the same cards and make the other ones harder to find that a needle in a haystack."  
  
At that moment they could hear yelling coming from just outside the door, which Remus had left slightly ajar.  
  
"Uh oh," said Sirius, "That sounds like James."  
  
Remus slid over slightly to see James standing with his back to them yelling at the top of his lungs at someone who he could not see. He slid over future and saw the red hair of a girl and his heart dropped.  
  
"Oh no," Remus muttered, "It's Lily too."  
  
"What?" choked Sirius, who was having great difficulty swallowing a rather large piece of the chocolate frog.  
  
"Well, at least I'm a not a stuck up little girl who thinks the sun shines out of her ass!" he yelled, "Maybe the next time someone is nice to you, you should return the kindness, oh wait, you don't have a kind bone in your bloody body!"  
  
James turned quickly as Remus turned back to Sirius and they continued to talk and eat. When he re-entered the compartment he sat down on his seat, fuming with anger. Remus and Sirius exchanged worried glances, what had that been all about? Sirius took a chocolate frog and leaned over towards where James was sitting.  
  
"Hey," Sirius muttered as James looked up and he tossed him the chocolate frog, "You all right?"  
  
James caught the frog and held it in his hand, not saying anything.  
  
"Ya know, I go out of my way to be nice to her and you know what she says?" he asked, but didn't give time to respond, "She says 'James must have something up his sleeve, because he's never nice to anyone; not even his friends.' What a witch."  
  
He opened the frog and violently bit the frog's head off. Sirius had a small grin on his face as he looked up at James.  
  
"She's a girl, mate, you don't need her," he said, "Not when you've got Remus, Peter and me around for you. Forget her and forget what she said. It's not true and you know it."  
  
Remus rolled his eyes behind Sirius's back and James smiled.  
  
"What, you don't agree Remus?" James joked as Sirius turned around.  
  
"She was probably referring to the way you two are always bully Severus and leading Peter around by the nose," reasoned Remus.  
  
"What the hell does Snivellus have to do with this?" snapped Sirius.  
  
"Do I need remind you of what you did to him last year after we took our O.W.L.S?" asked Remus.  
  
"He should know to leave us alone and stop spying on us," snapped James, "He's always lurking around us, trying to get us in trouble or something. He deserved what he got."  
  
"Well it didn't impress Lily, if that's what you were going for," said Remus, popping several Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans into his mouth.  
  
James sneered at Remus while Sirius shrugged, leaving his seat next to Remus and sat next to James.  
  
"Don't listen to Remus, James," said Sirius, handing him another frog, "I'm sure Lily will come around, course you may have to apologize."  
  
"Apologize?" spat James, "Why the bloody hell should I have to apologize."  
  
"Well," said Sirius, searching for the right words.  
  
"Because most girls don't respond particularly well to being called a witch," reasoned Remus.  
  
"But they are witches, Said Peter who had just returned from his entourage  
  
That broke the tension and James, Remus and Sirius laughed outloud, while Peter looked around at all of them.  
  
"I am so confused," he said returning to his normal seat. 


	2. The Prefects

Chapter Two  
  
The Prefects  
  
As the day grew on James and Sirius started talking to Remus again, about new ideas for them to get into trouble when Remus transformed once a month, and Remus just sat by, shaking his head.  
  
"Oh come off it Remus, you know you'd go insane if you didn't have us to come visit you in the shack," said James rather quietly, "Plus, we enjoy it."  
  
Remus smiled slightly and sighed.  
  
"I do appreciate it," stated Remus, a tone of unconvincing doubt in his voice, "I just don't want you guys to get caught."  
  
"We've done it tons of times, Remus," said Peter, "There's nothing to worry about anymore."  
  
"Yeah, unless you count the Prefect, professors, ghosts, and old Pringle wandering the halls, waiting for rules breakers" said Sirius; Pringle was an hot tempered old man who took care of the castle and constantly threatened students for Rule Breaking. "So, you're right, Pete, there isn't anything to worry about."  
  
Remus rolled his eyes while James sat quietly, his eyes focused on the ground as he rubbed his chin, his brow furrowed in thought. Peter and Sirius bickered back and forth as James thought, until he interrupted with a loud 'Got it'.  
  
"Got what?" asked Peter.  
  
"Got Milk?" interjected Remus.  
  
The others turned and looked at Remus, all thoroughly confused. James, shaking his head, continued.  
  
"An idea, so that we can, you know, sneak past everyone, even get past grumpy old Pringle." James said quickly, "Well, one night last year I was rather bored so I grabbed my invisibility cloak and innocently wandered through the restricted section of the library. Whist there I came upon a very curious looking article; the Attachment charm."  
  
"The what?" said Remus, Sirius, and Peter together.  
  
"The Attachment charm." repeated James smoothly; "If used properly the Attachment charm could create a link between a place and an inanimate object. I was curious as to why this particular charm would be in the restricted section of the library. Until of course I realized the effects that could be caused by the charm if not used correctly. So, in effect, we could bewitch the castle to be linked to a simple piece of parchment and according to the article, if I am not mistaken, which of course I am not." He said smugly, "We could, in effect, link the castle as well as its inhabitants to a random piece of parchment."  
  
"What kind of screw ball idea is that!" interrupted Sirius, "I mean honestly! You're a nutter!"  
  
"And how," Peter asked, "may I ask are we supposed to link the people inside Hogwarts to this 'parchment'."  
  
"Well," said James, "That's the brilliant part about it. As long as you know who or what you are trying to attach, you can indeed attach it."  
  
"So then," said Remus, "We could link all the teachers, ghosts, Pringle, the prefects, everybody, to a single piece of parchment?"  
  
"And know where they are at all times," said James.  
  
"Wow," said Sirius, "That's like..."  
  
"...Amazing," said Peter, his eyes wide with amazement.  
  
"But what are the effects if not used properly?" asked Remus.  
  
"Well, there in lies our problem," said James, uncertainly.  
  
"What?" said Sirius.  
  
"If you mess up, the person and/or object being attached would be instead enclosed inside the inanimate object." Explained James.  
  
"So what have we got to lose?" asked Sirius, "Let's go for it."  
  
They all laughed for a bit at the seemingly crackpot idea, although all of them secretly wondering if it was indeed possible. Remus turned and noticed there was some sort of commotion going on outside the compartment. He checked his watch.  
  
"We're almost there," said Remus, "We better get all of our things together and get ready."  
  
They all began to throw things into their trunks and throw on their robes and uniforms. Sirius's robes seemed more wrinkled that normal and he tried to smooth them out with his hands, but it was to no avail. Finally he gave up, sat down and began to put his tie on. Remus had just pulled on his robes and Sirius noticed the large red badge on right side of his robes with a large Lion and with a gold P over it.  
  
"Oh no, Remus, they made you prefect again?" gasped Sirius, "You being prefect takes all the fun out of making trouble. I mean, how are we suppose to get away with anything while your lurking the halls."  
  
Remus smiled as he handed Peter the badge whom admired it with a slight bit of jealousy.  
  
"But Sirius," he said looking up from the badge "we always get away with a lot."  
  
"That's the idea Pete," he said, exasperated.  
  
"And tell me Sirius," Remus said with a smile, "if I am the one doing the lurking why would I try to get myself into trouble as well as you."  
  
"Oh..." said Sirius as the benefits began to don on him.  
  
"My, you're forgetful old chap." James said with a wink.  
  
About a half an hour later the train stopped and all the students scrambled to get off. Remus left, having to go off for prefect duty.  
  
"We'll save you a seat at the feast, Remus," yelled Sirius as they waited for a carriage.  
  
The three of them packed into a carriage moments later and were about to close the door when they heard a voice outside.  
  
"Wait! Wait!" yelled the female voice, "Is this carriage full?"  
  
The door swung back open and Sirius's eyes met the face of Nicole, who wasn't being led around by Lily and was instead just being followed by Linnea. James quickly looked around, but saw no sign of Lily. He had made up his mind on the train that he was going to apologize to Lily the next chance he got.  
  
"We're got room for more," said Peter, squeezing over on the other side next to James and Sirius.  
  
As the two girls entered the carriage, Nicole quickly scanned the carriage and her face dropped when she didn't spot Remus anywhere.  
  
"Did Remus miss this carriage?" Nicole asked as the door snapped shut and the carriage took off.  
  
"Nope, he's got to go off and Prefect stuff before the feast," said James, "What about Lily?"  
  
"Prefect," said Linnea, her voice very smooth and mature, "Seems like being in that position takes a lot of time away from your friends."  
  
The boys nodded and the carriage barreled towards the castle.  
  
Back at Hogsmeade Station, Remus was standing, waiting for the Prefects to all arrive. He leaded against the wall alone, looking up at the half moon. He sighed; it wouldn't be long before he transformed into a werewolf again like he did every full moon. As him mind wandered he saw the castle in the distance and smiled. Hogwarts always did seem to bring out the happiest side of him there was.  
  
"Prefects, this way please," called a friendly voice.  
  
Remus turned and followed the crowd of Prefects. The group was made up of four students from each house, two boys and two girls, one from 5th year and the other a 6th year. Remus turned around and tried to scan the crowd, noticing Regulus not far behind him. He turned around and ran smack into someone.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry," he said, "Honestly, I should've been watching where I was going."  
  
The girl turned around and smiled at him. Remus was relieved to see Lily Evans standing in front of him.  
  
"It's all right, Remus," said Lily with a slight chuckle, "I suppose I can forgive you this once."  
  
Remus laughed as they continued towards the castle. It made him very happy to know that Lily and him would be Prefects together.  
  
Remus and Lily had always been good friends, and found they had a lot in common; a certain respect for the rules, a love for watching Quidditch, and the Muggle blood in their backgrounds. Lily was also one of the few people aside from Dumbledore and the other boys that knew Remus was a werewolf. He had entrusted her with the information when she began to be deeply concerned with his constantly abused and beaten appearance.  
  
The prefects climbed into the four carriages that were there for them, one for each house. Lily and Remus met the Gryffindor 5th year prefects, one a young black boy with very short hair and chocolate brown eyes by the name of Isaac Jordan. The other was a very tall black girl with long black hair pulled back into a ponytail and beautiful green eyes by the name Alicia Johnson. Remus had met them both the previous year when he was helping them out with some homework and knew that Isaac loved Quidditch and Alicia loved to play chess, which she was rather good at having beat Remus several times in succession.  
  
As they approached the castle, Lily and Remus began to talk quietly while Isaac and Alicia chattered on about the coming year.  
  
"So how are you, Remus?" asked Lily, her eyes looking concerned.  
  
"As well as can be expected I suppose," he said, "I wasn't able to do much because of...well...you know."  
  
Lily Gazed upon her friend sympathetically.  
  
"Don't give me that look, Lily," he said, as Lily looked away and he watched Hogwarts grow closer through the window, "So what about you?"  
  
"Me?" asked Lily, "Well, I didn't really do much of anything. I got into quiet a few fights with my sister about school and everything. My parents finally told her to grow up and start acting more like me, and you can just imagine how that helped our sister sister relationship."  
  
"I'm sure she'll come around eventually, Lily," said Remus.  
  
Lily rolled her eyes. Her sister, Petunia, coming around was as realistic as her falling in love with James Potter, it just would never happen.  
  
Once the carriages arrived, Minerva McGonagall, Professor of Transfiguration and Gryffindor's Head of House, was there to greet the Gryffindor Prefects. She smiled kindly at Remus and Lily as they led Isaac and Alicia towards her.  
  
"Hello, you four. It is very good to see you all back again. I trust you had a good summer holiday." She said in a very odd and kind tone that she rarely used, "Now, as you know being a Prefect is an honor from Dumbledore, so I will expect you treat it as such. It is your duty to help maintain order and discipline within the school. Ways that you will accomplish this will be to patrol the corridors certain nights, controlling, noise level and ruckus in the common rooms, as well as keeping bedlam in the hallways to a minimum. You will also be in charge of helping first year students find there way around the castle. You will find the common room password under your plate when you enter the great hall. Do be careful because three seconds after you maintain eye contact with the piece of parchment it will incinerate. After the sorting and the feast, your first duty as prefect is to show the first years to the common room. We may now go inside and join the rest of the school."  
  
Remus went to walk past her and into the school but McGonagall held him back for a moment. Lily hesitated, but after seeing the look on McGonagall's face, proceeded inside for the feast.  
  
"Remus, how have you been?" asked McGonagall, sounding very concerned.  
  
"Fine, Professor," he said casually, "No worse than normal."  
  
She nodded.  
  
"Now, I understand that your condition may interfere with some of your prefect duties..." she started but Remus cut her off.  
  
"Professor?" he asked, "Um, I was able to do it fine last year, I don't really see why this year would be much different."  
  
McGonagall stopped, looked Remus in the eyes, and slowly nodded.  
  
"Okay, well, run along then," she said as Remus headed into the school for the feast.  
  
Remus ran up the stairs and entered the great hall. He stopped suddenly and looked around. On the far side of the room he could see the snide Slytherins clearly talking about there smug summers. Down the center he could see Sirius leaning back talking, it seemed, quite smoothly to a Ravenclaw seventh year who was in fits of giggles, while Peter watched beside him apparently taking notes. Across the table James was slipping something that looked oddly like bubotuber puss into Peter's Pumpkin Juice. Remus laughed quietly at his friends, until her heard a familiar voice behind him.  
  
"Remus...Remus" called Lily, "Are you coming".  
  
Remus nodded and followed Lily to their spots at the table. Glancing up at the sky Remus breathed a sigh of relief. He was home again. 


End file.
